


Sunset Banquet

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [247]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:19:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: Ian and Quinn enjoy the Luke holiday party.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Helen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helen/gifts), [obi1mcgregor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/obi1mcgregor/gifts).



> Christmas in Arcadia:  
> [Christmas in Williamsburg](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1752722) by Merry Amelie  
> [Dream Passage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798069) by Merry Amelie  
> [Winter Warmth](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798090) by Merry Amelie  
> [Epiphany](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1907901) by Merry Amelie  
> [Christmas at Arbor Lodge](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4149948) by Merry Amelie  
> [The Wayfarers Inn](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4209435) by Merry Amelie  
> [Christmas in Williamsburg (Revised)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4276173) by Merry Amelie  
> [Blessings](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4359476) by obi1mcgregor  
> [An Arcadian Christmas](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388378) by obi1mcgregor  
> [A Four-legged Christmas](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397123) by obi1mcgregor  
> [Holiday Fun 'n Games](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3238931) by obi1mcgregor  
> [Holiday at Sunset ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5486585)

  
[Capurnia](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Capurnia)'s beautiful manip

Oohs and aahs filled the Grand Ballroom of the Sunset Tower hotel during the annual holiday party of the Luke School of Arts and Sciences. It was Saturday, December 17th, at 8 pm, when the professors, secretaries, deans, department chairs, and graduate students had just walked in to an indoor winter wonderland, where crystal windchimes sounded in a snowscape of white, green, and blue. White carpeting covered the room, except for the rectangular dance floor, while miniature green spruce, pine, and boxwood trees sat in their pots, freshly watered and alive with the Living Force that they brought to the ballroom. The wallpaper was the icy blue of the sky on a cold winter's day.

Every year, the partygoers voted on a charity to donate the proceeds of the banquet to, and this year, the recipient was the local animal shelter, where Case had found his rescue-puppy, a sweet little Scottish-terrier pup, last year. Pictures of the puppies and kittens of the faculty were on a poster-board at the entrance of the ballroom; Artoo and Sandy looked particularly adorable in the little blue and green sweaters Prudence had made for them.

Their dads looked adorable, too. The red and green colors of the Prentice clan were perfect for the holidays, and Quinn had convinced his husband to don the kilt his Aunt Gordania had sent him from Inverness as a Christmas present. Ian also wore a white formal shirt covered by a black jacket, along with a green tie and hose. He looked like he could have strode in from the Highlands.

Even though his aunt had given Quinn a kilt, as well, Ian decided that his herven would look a bit better in his favorite winter suit, made of cozy blue wool that matched his eyes. Quinn had run a teasing hand over Ian's calf, clad in green hose, while saying, "You do proper justice to it, m'lad. I'll stick with your choice for me." It was pure luck that they'd gotten out the door in time for the party.

Quinn was usually too warm indoors during wintertime, because public places tended to be overheated, especially in Upstate New York. So he took his jacket off before reaching the table, intending to place it on the back of his seat. He looked over to see Ian doing the same thing, with a bit of an added flourish.

They made quite a dashing duo, as always. And were surrounded by their colleagues in all their finery. They headed to their table in the right corner, furthest from the dance band, joined by Billie and Case, Bant and Ethan, and Emma and Evan. Case had requested the tables back here, so they could hear themselves talk during dinner.

Their table was set for a holiday feast -- pine-green tablecloths; red napkins folded into Santa Claus hats; Fontana china by Royal Doulton, with bells gracing the edge of the plates; a miniature spruce tree as a centerpiece, with small wooden ornaments hanging from its boughs.

Ian touched the tiny yellow star on top, murmuring, "Per aspera ad astra."

Only Quinn was close enough to hear his husband. He silently translated from the Latin: "Through adversity to the stars." He closed his eyes for a moment; this was the motto of the Georgeton University's Phi Beta Kappa honor society, of which Ian was a member. Quinn squeezed Ian's hand; the motto rang true as a metaphor for their lives. He felt the slight flutter of his laddie's fingers and knew that their Jedi telepathy was with them again.

Quinn took a moment to return to ordinary consciousness, letting in the joyful sounds of the ballroom around him. When he sat down, he noticed that there were silver bookmarks in the likeness of William Shakespeare in the center of all of their dinner plates.

Case used his bookmark to tap on his plate for attention. "These are my little treats for you all this year."

A burst of delighted "Thank yous!" rang out around the table.

Quinn put his bookmark away carefully in the side pouch of the leather satchel hanging on one side of his chair. Then he reached into the satchel to take out packages of festively wrapped cookies and handed them to his friends. "These are from Prudence and Violet for all of you, my friends. Merry Christmas from them, and we'll all see each other at our New Year's Eve party at Alder Run."

Another chorus of "Thank yous!" sang from their friends. Happy smiles all around; everyone had been lucky enough to taste the ladies' cookies before and knew they were in for a treat. The scents of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting from their gift bags made their mouths water already.

Case snuck a cookie before the waiter even filled their water glasses; you'd have to have will power even stronger than a Jedi to resist one of Violet's gingerbread men. "Wish we had neighbors like yours, guys."

"We're lucky to have them," Ian said, sneaking his own cookie from Quinn, who had taken an extra bag for himself.

"You know, they've told me that they think of you as their grandsons," Case added casually.

However, it was anything but casual to Ian and Quinn. They looked at each other with double-wide smiles, even as their eyes glistened.

"They've never said that to us," Quinn said, as Ian seconded this with a nod. He and his lad had lost their grandparents as children, so it was incredible for them to experience this type of love well into adulthood. A second chance to be grandmothered. "'Tis wonderful!"

"They're part of our family," Ian said simply. "Thank you for telling us."

"You're welcome," replied Case. "And here I thought the cookies were the best gift."

Billie nodded sagely. "But we all know better now." She gave a brilliant smile to Quinn and Ian.

"While we're giving out presents," Bant said, "I thought you'd like this." She was sitting next to Quinn and handed him a cute little Aslan tree ornament.

Quinn cradled the tiny lion in the palm of his hand, which made it look even smaller. It was made of tan wood and carved so expertly that you could feel its power radiating from Quinn's hand. "Oh, I love him!" He ran his thumb over the glossy mane. "Thank you, Bant." He put it into a zippered compartment of his satchel. Now he had the urge to reread Lewis's 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. The books always had a place in his heart because of the friendship between Lewis and Tolkien.

Bant dimpled. "Eth said that he reminded him of you, so I had to get it." She patted her husband's arm.

Ethan said, "It's a good likeness. By the way, since all three of our holidays are on consecutive days this year," with Chanukah starting on December 24th, Christmas on the 25th, and Kwanzaa on the 26th, "we've decided to move our party to the 23rd, to free up Christmas Eve."

"Can you all make it?" Bant asked.

Everyone nodded, and Bant grinned in relief. "I know it's short notice to change the date, but we just found out my aunt and uncle can't come on the 24th anyway, so we figured we'd just have it one day earlier."

Billie said, "And our Kwanzaa celebration is still on the 26th, folks. Better bring your appetites." She chuckled. "I'm making a sweet potato pie just for you, Quinn," she said, winking at him.

Quinn winked back at her. "'Tis a true gift, Billie. Thank you."

The waiter came over with their menus, along with water, garlic rolls and butter. The banquet menu allowed them a choice of five entrees and three desserts. Conversation paused for a bit while they made their selections. As soon as Ian and Quinn saw the fillet of sole stuffed with cornbread and walnuts, swimming in a Sauvignon Blanc sauce, they went for it. But dessert was a split decision. Quinn opted for banana cake infused with chocolate-coconut liqueur, while Ian picked pumpkin cheesecake. Of course, Quinn knew that his laddie would share with him. He would get the best of both galaxies, you might say.

As soon as the salad course arrived, the dance band started up with the opening notes of 'Silver Bells', which instantly reminded Ian of the Fontana plate in front of him, and he ran a fingertip over the rim. The band was accompanied by their lead singer, who sounded amazingly like Bing Crosby. Quinn and Ian, along with Emma and Evan, could not sit this one out. The two couples walked to the dance floor and started gliding over it, almost as if they were ice-skating. The men were particularly impressive, because of their expertise in aikido. Even without Master Yodama there, they kept to their best form.

"Great party this year, ma gradh," Ian said, his eyes catching the green of the miniature trees surrounding them.

"They surely outdid themselves, darlin'." Quinn tucked his lad closer into his arms, savoring the unusual feel of the kilt swirling against his trousers.

Both of them sighed in pleasure at exactly the same time, then chuckled on cue.

The quartet segued into 'White Christmas', and visions of snowflakes danced in their heads, as their feet moved to the melody. Then they saw their waiter bringing over the main course and went back to their seats. The band played Medieval songs in the background while they were eating. The sole was just as good as the men had imagined, and they had good imaginations. And the chestnut stuffing was even better. After about fifteen minutes, they pushed their plates away.

The men chatted with their friends until their dessert came. Quinn didn't know which looked better -- his own banana cake or Ian's pumpkin cheesecake. But it didn't matter, because they were splitting them. Ian swiped some of his cake first, proudly keeping up his tradition of poaching food from Quinn's plate, begun on the very first day they'd met.

Quinn could not let that go unanswered, and he scooped up a spoonful of cheesecake heaven. Then it was open season on the rest of the treats. A perfect ending to their holiday banquet.

The music shifted to a Renaissance vibe when the band began to play 'Greensleeves'. Quinn and Ian got up to dance again. This had been one of the men's songs at their wedding reception in Massachusetts, so they were not surprised to feel each other's goosebumps, despite the shirts covering their skin. The courtliness of the music suited them right down to their knightly toes.

But the song's bittersweetness also made for somber reflection.

Quinn clearly felt the vibe. "Next year, I'm going to propose that we donate the proceeds from our holiday party to the ACLU," he said.

"Good idea. We're gonna need them to be strong." Ian burrowed closer to his husband. He and Quinn already made a yearly donation to the charity.

Quinn nodded into Ian's copper hair. "Look at how many weddings we've been invited to in the next month. As Flynn and Joe said, just in case." He cradled Ian in his arms.

On that note, 'Greensleeves' faded into silence, and the band struck up a more festive tune, 'Deck the Halls'. On that literally happy note, the men's holiday spirit returned in Force, as their feet flew over the parquet floor.

Even without their jackets, they were starting to get overheated by now, what with all of their dancing and the body heat they shared so deliciously. But they knew that they still needed their jackets to go outside. They got them from the back of their chairs and walked out to the balcony, where the winter-bright stars in the never-ending sky greeted them. Since it was so cold, no one else was out here, despite the enchantment of the night.

Quinn snugged an arm over Ian's shoulders, both intimate gesture and shelter from the cold. They stood just like that for one priceless Moment, basking in each other's warmth. With nobody to see them, they shared a kiss that spoke of their ever-deepening love, in even more eloquent ways than our erudite professors could muster.

Their kiss was what love was made of.


End file.
